Briefing No. 33
Pioneer Way Reconstruction Project

October 7, 2011

Good afternoon,

Yesterday (Thursday), the project reached the stage of “substantial completion” in all areas except the block directly affected by the ongoing archaeological work. As noted before, there is still work to be accomplished before the project is physically complete (including bringing down the power lines and poles, completing punch list tasks and repairs, and actually building the street between Ireland and Ilwaco), but substantial completion is a major milestone. To mark the progress so far, the downtown merchants are busy planning “Pioneer Way Celebrates” on October 15. A day full of activities includes a fun run on the new street, food, music, poker walk, ribbon cutting, chalk art (weather permitting), Native American youth dancers and “a sweet taste of Pioneer Way.” Watch for ads in local newspapers for details.

For approximately the next three weeks, most of the construction activity on the street will be concentrated on completing items from the punch list. While most of these tasks are relatively minor, several work items will likely cause some disturbance and/or traffic impacts. One of the largest, replacing the two flawed sidewalk panels in front of the Pioneer Way project office and Casual House, will likely occur on Monday of next week. Also on tap for next week is the pouring of the replacement sidewalk on the upper east side of Dock Street.

Construction Work

□ The landscaping subcontractor completed topsoil application and irrigation in the remaining planter islands and the last trees and plants were put into the fresh topsoil. Work began today on applying the top layer of mulch to the planter islands. Next week, the Oak Harbor Garden Club, City Parks staff and volunteers will join together to plant the new ceramic pots.

□ Iron was raised last week, meaning that all the manholes and valve casings were brought up to be flush with the new paving. The patches are only temporary and will be replaced when the paving crew returns to complete work on the archaeology block.

□ Puget Sound Energy and Frontier Communications are both working on the street pulling wire through the new underground power and communications network. Phase 2 (east of Dock) was energized by mid-week.

□ Strider Construction continued to work on installing the “amenities,” including handrails, landscaping, streetlights, planters, benches, bike racks, tree grates, permanent signs and streetside restoration.

The Archaeological Work

□ City officials and the City’s consulting archaeological firm, Northwest Archaeological Associates (NWAA), welcomed the arrival of a revised excavation permit on Monday, October 3. NWAA began work on Tuesday inside the archaeological enclosure to remove the top 10” or so of dirt to allow the street to be completed. This material will be screened for human remains and other cultural materials with any new discoveries set aside for reburial. This work is expected to take about four weeks to complete.

□ Archaeological monitoring is continuing whenever Strider or one of their subcontractors performs any excavation work.

Scheduled Gatherings/Events

AM TUESDAY COFFEES Every Tuesday morning – 9:00 to 10:00 am
Pioneer Way Information and Construction Office
Have a cup and pastry, hear what’s on the schedule for that week

SATURDAY, OCTOBER 15 Pioneer Way Celebrates!
Lots of Merchant-Sponsored Activities on the new street and sidewalks
Fun Run, Food, Music, Poker Walk Chalk Art (weather permitting), Sidewalk Sale and Much More
Ribbon Cutting at Dock and Pioneer, 12-2


Key City Contact People

Larry Cort
Project Manager
360 914-7107
lcort@oakharbor.org

Joe Stowell
Project Engineer
360 279-4520
jstowell@oakharbor.org

Rhonda Severns
City Utilities
360 914-7256
rhseverns@oakharbor.org